Continuous glass-polishing means



April 17, 1928.

A. W. PLATT CONL'INUOUS GLASS POLISHING MEANS Filed Sent. 5. 1926 3Sheets-Sheet 1 April 17, 1928;

A. W. PLATT CONTINUOUS GLASS POLISHING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledSept. 5. 1926 CONTINUOUS GLASS POLISHING MEANS Filed Sent. 3. 1926 3Sheets-Sheet 3 lilo 45 6 2M HTTE'.

Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARCHIE W. PLATT. OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE I IDWARD FORD PLATEGLASS COMPANY, OF ROSSFORD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONTINUOUS GLASS-POLISHING MEANS.

Application filed September 3, 1926. Serial No. 133,338.

This invention relates to apparatus parand adapted to guide thesuccessive backticularly intended for grinding or polishing ward andforward movements across the plate glass in a continuous manner. tablesof respective sets of glass surfacing An object of the invention is theprovision units 5, which for convenience may hereinof a simple,efficient and practical machine after he referred to as polishing units.

'of the character described, which is entirely Each guide 4, in thepresent instance, is automatic in its action and 'is adapted to composedof four parallel guide bars 6 areifcct a continuous polishing orgrinding of ranged transversely in rectangular form to the exposed topsurface of plate or sheet provide a pair of upper opposed bars and glassas it is moved either intermittently or a pair of lower opposed bars.Each guide 4 continuously at a slow speed under the hastwo runs,preferably in parallel relation, polishing means. across the tablerunway transversely thereof A further object of-the invention is the andthe adjacent ends of the runs are conprovision of means forautomatically, at et-t d by o ped portions of the guidesdispredetermined intervals, cleaning or reposed without the table runwayat opposite conditioning the felt covered working sursides thereof. Theguides 4; are supported faces of the polishing members so they will ateach side of the table runway by a respecc ti t ff ti l p li h th gl dtive set of standards '4' arranged alongside of will not scratch orotherwise injure the same e ables in Close relation thereto, and arealso supported at the-looped ends thereof in by reason of theaccumulation of the polishoutwardly spaced relation to the standards 7ing or abradin'g material thereon.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description thereof.

While the invention in its broader aspect is capableeof embodiment innumerous. forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is by respective sets ofstandards 8.

Each polishing unit 5 has a carriage or cross-head member 9 that ismounted in and guided for movements by the respective guide 4, and avertical shaft 10 is journaled in each carriage. A rotary head 11 iscarillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Pied y Each ft 10 at itslower end and a hi h, plurality of runners or polishing blocks 12 Figure1 is a top plan view of an appa- (in the present instance four innumber) are ratus embodying the invention with parts cfirlled y ea h ad11 for turning moveb k Fi 2 i a crogg-5ecti0n on merits therewith andfor rotary movements th li 2 2 i Fi 1, Fi ,3 i a f relative thereto, aswell understood in the mentary side elevation of the machine with T bcks 12 usually have their work parts removed. Fig. 4 is a section on theline surfaces Y f w th felt and arcadapt- 4- l in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 isan enlarged ed to have polishing coaetion with the surfragnientarydetail of one of the polishing facfioi h 11155 I as they move across theunits and of portions of the associated drive Samed g idin mean Each polshing unit 5 has an upstanding Referring to the drawings, 1 designates13 SWWehd 0n the upper end of its h l t h i; glass t h f d carriagc 9for free horizontal turning move-- polished, which is mounted on one ormore f thereto, and h PD 0nd poiishing bl 2 f truck form Th the arm isconnected to a drive chain 14 so tables are preferably arranged in trainor that the assoc ated unit is caused to move tandem form in endabutting relation to pro- With the iis Connection of the vide aprolonged substantially unbroken top Several units with the chain alsomaintains surface length ise of th t i d th the un ts in proper spacedrelation, the spactm'vel over id il 3 ing being such that a plurality ofsuccessive The tables 2 pass under one or more endunits are preferablyin polishing coaction at less guides 4 arranged in spaced relation thesame time with the glass being surfaced. lengthwise of the movement ofthe tables The chain 14 is disposed over the associated aworm wheel 18in mesh with a drivework- 19 on a drive shaft 20 mounted in bearings 21lengthwise of the frame and at one side of the table runway. The speedof movement of the chain 14 is preferably such that the polishing unitswill have a slow moveeach unit of a set.

ment across the glass being polished.

The rotary heads 11 of the polishing units are rotated at the desiredspeed by the engagementof a drive chain 22 with a sprocket wheel 23 onthe upper end of the shaft 10 of The chain 22, in the present instance,is disposed below the plane of the chain 14 and within the path ofmovement thereof in substantial parallelism therewith, being guided atthe corners of its movement by idler rolls 24 loosely mounted on theshafts 16 so that such rolls and the sprocket wheels 15 may havemovements according to the speed of movements of the respective chains14 and 22. The chain 22 at one side of the table runway is loopedinwardly around a drive sprocket wheel 25 that is mounted on a shaft 26intermediate the pair of guide rolls 24 at that end of the guide. Theshaft 26 is journaled in the associated bracket 17 and carries a beveledpinion 27 at its upper end in mesh with a companion pinion 28 on thedrive shaft 20. A rotary movement is imparted to the polishing heads ofthe severa units throughout the entire course of their travel in theguide 4, except at the points where the chain 22 is looped inwardlyaround the drive sprocket 25.

A set of rollers 30 is disposed at each side of the table runway tosupport the units 5 while traveling the looped portions of the guide 4or while passing from one cross run to the other of a guide. The rollers30 of each set are journaled at their inner and outer ends in rails 31and 32, respectively, the rail 31 being carried by the standards 7 andthe rail 32 by the standards 8. and both blocksras they pass thereover.

extending in parallel relation lengthwise of the table runway.

In order to clean or re-condition the felt covered working surfaces ofthe polishing blocks 12 at a predeterminedpoint in each cycle ofmovement of the units, a scraper blade 33 is disposed between two of therollers 30 'of one set substantially centrally of 'the associated endloop of the guide 4 and is elevated sufficiently to havescrapingcoaction with the working faces of the The scraper 33 is preferablydisposed below the end of the guide at which the unitsprocket wheels 23remain in engagement with the chain 22 so that the polishing heads ofthe units will be rotated as they pass over thc'scraper.

The scraper 33 is mounted at its ends in vertical guides 34 secured tothe undersides of the associated rails 31 and 32 and is verticallyvadjusted in the guides by screws 35 (see Fig. 3). v

In theuse of the machine, the glass 1 to be polished or ground, whichmay be in continuous sheet form or in sectional form,

is mounted on or supported by the tables 2 and fed lengthwise of themachine and under the polishing units by the movement of the tables. Anynumber of sets of polishing units may be employed tosuit the work to beperformed and each set has its polishing units moving continuously andin successive order first in one direction and then another across theglass, this being accomplished by the driving action of the chain 14. Atthe same time the polishing members of the units are given the desiredrotary movements by the driving connection of the chain 22 therewith.The working surfaces of. the polishing units are cleaned andre-conditioned after leaving the glass at one side thereof by coactionwith a scraper blade 33 which is vertically adjustable to compensate forwear and to vary the pressure intended to be exerted thereby a ainst theunder-surfaces of the polishing b ocks.

I wish it understood that the references herein to plate glass appliesto and includes all kinds of sheet glass which is adapted to be groundor polished and is not restricted to that kind of glass which iscommonly referred to in the trade as plate glass; also that the termpolishing as used herein is intended to include any abrasive actionapplied to the glass, whether the same be for grinding or for polishingthe same, and that while the machi'ne described herein is intendedprimarily for polishing, strictly speaking, glass plates or sheets, itmay also be used for the'grinding of the surfaces of such sheets.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specificconstruction, arrangement or form of the parts. as it is capable ofnumerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit ofthe claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim/as new and'desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the cla-ss'described, a conveyor for supporting plateglass and having a defined path of movement, a polishing unit having anendless path of movement forward and backward across the conto traverseits path of movement, andmeans disposed at one side of the path ofmovement of the conveyor for re-conditioning the polishing surface ofthe unit as it passes thereover.

2 In a machine of the class described, a conveyor for supporting plateglass and hav-' ing a defined path of movement, a plurality for causingsaid units tq traverse the path of I movement, rovided therefor, andmeans at a side of t e conveyor tor re-conditioning the polishingsurface of each unit as it passes thereover during its run at a side ofthe conveyor.

3. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor for supporting plateglass and having a defined path of movement, means forming an endlessguideway having spaced guide portions extending entirely across theconveyor transversely of its movement and connected at their ends beyondthe respective sides of the conveyor, a polishing u'nit guided formovements the conveyor and adapted to lltfl'fl polishing ooactionlwithglass on the conveyor as it crosses the same, means causing the unit totraverse the guideway, and

means at a side ofrthe conveyor in the path of movement of the olishingunit for coaction with the polishing surface of the unit as it passesthereoverto efiect a re-conditioning of such surface.

4. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor for supporting plateglass and having a defined path of movement, means forming an endlessguideway with'spaced portions extending across the conve or andconnected beyond the conveyor at t e respective sides thereof, apolishing unit guided for movements by said means and havin a rotatablepolishing part, means for causing the conveyor to traversethe guidewaythrough out its length, means for rotating the polishing portion of theunit as it crosses over the conve or, and separate and independentlyopera le means for supporting the polishing unit when beyond the sidesof the conveyor and transferring it from one spaced portion oftheguide-way to the other.

5. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor for supporting plateglass and having a defined path of movement, means forming anendlessguideway having portions extending entirely across the conveyor transversely thereof and portions beyond the sides of the conveyor, polishingunits guided in successive order by said guide means, and means at eachside of the conveyor providing an anti-friction support for the unitswhile passing from one to the other of the trans versely extendingportions of the guide means.

6. In a machine of the class described, a

conveyor for supporting plate glass and having a defined path ofmovement, means forming an endless guideway having portions extendingentirely across the conveyor transversely thereof and portions beyondthe sides of the conveyor, polishing units guided in successive orderby-said guide means, and means at each side of the conveyor providing anantifriction support for the units while passing from one to the otherof the transversely extending portions of the uide means, and meansassociatd with one 0 said supporting means for :oaction with thepolishing surfaces of the units as they pass over i the supportingmeans,-

7. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor for sup! ortin plateglass and having a defined pat of m vement, means forming an endlessguideway and yhaving spaced portions extend acrbss the conveyortransversely t herdiii a pluralit of polishing units guided formovements y said guide means and having rotary polishing members forcoaction with the glass supported by the conveyors as the units passthereover, a chain having ,a path of movement corresponding to the pathof movement of the polishing units and in driving connection with eachunit,

means for driving the rotary polishing parts of the units and includinga drive chain'and drivin connection between the rotary part of eachimparting movement to each of said chains.

8. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor forsupporting-material for rinding or polishing and having a define ath ofmovement, means forming an en less guideway having spaced guide portionsextendingentirely across the material supporting portion of the conveyortransversely of its movement and connected at their ends beyond therespective sides of the material supporting portion of the conveyor, acarriage guided by the guideway for movements entirely around the same,a vertical shaft carried by the carriage, an abrading means carried bythe shaft at its lower end for rotation therewith, a sprocket wheelcarried by the shaft, a drive chain having a course of movementcorresponding substantially to the course of movement of the carriageand meshing with said sprocket wheel, draft means connected to thecarriage and operable to move it around the guideway, and means fordriving said chain to impart movement to it relative to the movement ofthe carriage to rotate the sprocket wheel and shaft. 1

9. In a machine of the class described, a conveyor for supportingmaterial to be abraded, means forming an endless guideway having spacedportions extending across the conveyor and portions at the sides of theconveyor connecting the adjacent ends of said spaced portions, :1cacriage guided for unit and the chain, and means for movement by saidguide means, a shaft can ried by the'carr'iage, abrading means carriedby the shaft, :1 wheelcarried by the shaft, an endless flexible memberconnected 5 to the carriage and operable to move the carriage throughoutthe length of the guide means, a second flexible member connected tosaid wheel and operable to rotate the wheel and shaft, and meansoperable'to drive both said flexible members at relative speeds. 10

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

ARCHIE W. PLAT'II.

